Family history show tech workshops

Who Do You Think You Are Live conference schedule

Geanealogy is an interest and pastime that has been changed by the internet more than most. And its popularity has soared with the success of TV programmes such as Who Do You Think You Are?.

The annual Who Do You Think You Are? Live show (WDYTYA Live), sponsored by online family history giant Ancestry, embraces the internet and social networking in this year’s workshop schedule.

The WDYTYA Live 2012 show takes place February 24-26, at London’s Olympia.

The conference timetable includes the following workshops that take an online and social look at genealogy.

Family history and Google

Harness the Power of Google Earth for Your Family History

Google Earth is much more than just a mapping program. In this presentation by Lisa Louise Cooke visitors will learn how to harness Google Earth’s capabilities by using it as a creative multi-media way to tell our ancestor’s story and leave a legacy for future generations. Attendees will learn how to incorporate images, videos, genealogical documents, and historic maps and bring it all together in a unique virtual family history tour that they can share on blogs, websites, by email and more, as well as use to further research through geographic analysis.

Using Google Images and beyond: A Genealogical Goldmine

Online image databases such as Google Images and Flickr area powerful tools for genealogists. This talk by Maureen Taylor covers how to search, how to locate the originals and rights and permissions for reuse.

Google Search Strategies for the Family Historian

Frustrated by thousands of irrelevant search results when you search for your family using Google? Do you want to achieve better results in a shorter amount of time? Visitors can learn the art of online search with genealogy podcaster and Google Expert Lisa Louise Cooke, author of the book The Genealogist’s Google Toolbox. In this session attendees will expand their Google search repertoire and learn techniques, tricks and tips to achieve better genealogical search results.

Family history and technology

How do we share and preserve memories in a digital era?

Daniel Horowitz will help attendees to learn the different options you have and the best way to digitally collect, store, preserve, publish and share your research and the material gathered over so many years.

The Internet is the perfect place to share and preserve memories, with options that range from completely private to completely public, and all the levels in between. Family historians can ask for collaboration or simply display the information; they control every aspect. In this session they will meet all kinds of easy-to-use tools and resources that facilitate the work of setting up websites to publish the information.

The Future of Family History on the Internet

The Internet is now an essential medium both for access to genealogical records and for communication between family historians. This talk by Peter Christian will look at how things are developing to try and get an idea of what online resources and facilities we may expect to see in the future. However, the Internet also raises new problems, such as record access, the preservation of electronic data, and personal privacy, so family historians also need to consider the effect these may have on research.

Organising Your Research With Technology

Visitors can learn how to embrace new software and Internet technologies to preserve and organise their research materials, and discover specific steps to record, track, and share their family history, with D. Joshua Taylor.

Family history and social networking

Breaking the Barriers with Social Networking - Strategies and Tricks

The 2010s will be the decade of social networking, providing a vast source of new genealogical data. Large numbers of individuals will be attracted to social networking websites incorporating family-oriented virtual communities. These websites will be easy to use, supporting collaboration in the research and recording of family history.

The presentation by Laurence Harris will cover both general social networks such as Facebook and specialist genealogy-oriented social networking websites such as MyHeritage. The lecturer will illustrate how genealogical breakthroughs can be made using a variety of strategies and “tricks” on these social networks, to benefit both new researchers and experienced genealogists alike.

Harnessing the Facebook Generation

How can we use phenomena like Facebook and Twitter to publicise, advance and preserve our family history, asks Janet Few? Should family historians and family history societies carry on offering the same things in the same way? Do we try to persuade potential young family historians to like what we do, or should we do what they like? The talk will look at ways in which family historians can encourage a new cohort of researchers, who will share their hobby with the next generation.

Exploring Google+ as a Tool for Family History Research

Google+ has had a tremendous impact on the social media landscape and was immediately embraced by family historians throughout the world. Daniel Lynch takes a close look at how Google+ can enhance both your search, as well as your sharing of family history information.

Many family historians use Google every day, but only scratch the surface. This session will provide practical advice for establishing the perfect family history profile, as well as using Circles and Google+ Hangouts to share, obtain feedback, and learn from others about topics relating to your family history.

“Free for all’? Local history websites for family historians

The internet has transformed how we carry out research into our ancestors’ lives. Catalogues, digitised documents, photographs, images and large datasets are all available for family historians to use, many of them free. Dr Gill Draper will introduce visitors to several of the most useful websites, and to a number which they may not yet have tried.

Smart home- or wearable tech: which is more likely to benefit your digital life this year?

I'm more likely to buy smart home- than wearable tech this yearI'm more likely to buy wearable- than smart home tech this yearI'll probably buy both smart home- and wearable tech this yearI'm unlikely to buy smart home- or wearable tech this yearNot sure/don't know